Month: January 2014

By Jim Miller

At the national level, there are signs that 2014 might be a hopeful one for progressives. In New York City Bill De Blasio was sworn in as mayor pledging to fight the “inequality crisis” with a bold progressive agenda addressing housing, education, and economic opportunity at all levels: “When I said we would take dead aim at the Tale of Two Cities, I meant it. And we will do it. We will succeed as one city.”

Many in the national press are pointing to De Blasio’s victory along with the momentum the living wage movement is gaining in cities like Seattle, and buzz around the effort to draft Elizabeth Warren to run for President as evidence of a shift in the national narrative about the question of inequality that bodes well for progressive populism and the country as a whole.

Death of Alessandro Speroni Confirmed

It has been confirmed that Alessandro Speroni is the 41 year old man who died after being pulled from the surf along Sunset Cliffs last Sunday, December 29th. He was the owner of the Soleluna Cafe in Cortez Hill and was recently married.

The County Medical Examiner’s investigation is still on-going, so the cause of death has been undetermined. However, Speroni was pulled from the ocean unconscious and paramedics were unable to revive him. This was near the 1200 block of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.

OB’s Slightly Stoopid to Play in Costa Rico

Our best-known local band, Slightly Stoopid, is playing in Jaco, Costa Rica January 16-19, in what is being called the Jungle Jam IV. The band – led by multi-instrumentalists and founding members, Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald – be joined by special guest Don Carlos of Black Uhuru.

This a warning from the Widder Curry:

When was the last time your came off Highway 8 west, made your left hand turn, and continued to Famosa Boulevard (the street and bridge that runs over Nimitz Blvd), turned right at the signal and coming up to Voltaire St. Then, after making a complete stop at the intersection of Famosa and Voltaire you turned right? (Famosa becomes Catalina at the 7-11.)

Yesterday? Did you get a ticket? No? You don’t know how lucky you were, because without any notice a sign has been placed at that intersection that now reads “no right hand turns on a red light.”

People are complaining that they are getting $293 tickets for making that turn.

Where did you say that is again?

We now know as much about cannabis as we know about alcohol, tobacco and many prescription drugs.

By Paul Armentano / AlterNet

Speaking recently with the Los Angeles Times, UCLA professor and former Washington state “pot czar” Mark Kleiman implied that we as a society are largely ignorant when it comes to the subject of weed. Speaking with Times columnist Patt Morrison, Kleiman stated, “I keep saying we don’t know nearly as much about cannabis as Pillsbury knows about brownie mix.”

At least 71 sailors from San Diego-based carrier have reported radiation sickness and will file a lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power Co.

By Brandon Baker / EcoNews

After U.S. Navy sailors on the USS Ronald Reagan responded to the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan for four days, many returned to the U.S. with thyroid cancer, Leukemia, brain tumors and more.

At least 71 sailors—many in their 20s—reported radiation sickness and will file a lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima Daiichi energy plant.

By John Lawrence / San Diego Free Press

Snow, sleet, freezing rain and extreme cold left millions of people without power in the US, Canada and western Europe. December 2013 was packed full of bitter cold, snowy and icy extremes which resulted in pile-ups on the highways, canceled flights and people trying to survive bitter cold with no heat in their homes.

Winter Storm Cleon produced a significant bout of freezing rain and sleet across the Dallas-Ft. Worth area Dec. 5-6. Freezing rain and sleet accumulations of up to 1.5 inches led to nasty travel conditions. Hundreds of flights were canceled by the icy weather. In addition, more than a quarter million customers were without power in northern Texas.

Alessandro Speroni Unconscious When Pulled From Surf

The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed today to the OB Rag that the 41 year old male pulled from the ocean at Sunset Cliffs on Sunday, December 29, did in fact pass away. Alessandro Speroni was the man’s name.

Thought this might be a good submission for the New Year.

I’m walking around yesterday morning in Ocean Beach, just checking things out, wandering by the construction site at corner of Saratoga and Abbott and stuck on a little palm tree trunk was this little envelope.

I kind of look at it and sort decide if it’s booby trapped or something…it is OB after all, but then I figure, its OB and this is exactly what the hippies down here do…so I gently remove it from its little place within the palm frond.

The envelope exterior is colored with crayons and on it is hand written, “I’ve been waiting for you all day!” “Open me up already!” “read, read, read me …”

So I open it and there is very fine card stock with flower decorations printed on recycled paper, I open the card and it too is colored with crayons and hand written…